April 24, 1913J 



NATURE 



191 



chiefly related to its density and temperature. Now 

 we know much respecting- its rigidity. 



With the object of increasing- our knowledge of 

 teleseismic disturbances, in 1896 the British Asso- 

 ciation, with the assistance of the British Govern- 

 ment, communicated with many foreign States 

 and Colonies suggesting that they should establish 

 a certain type of seismograph. The result has 

 been that the British Association now enjoys the 

 cooperation of fifty-nine similarly equipped stations 

 which are fairly evenly distributed over the world. 

 The general outcome from this and the work 

 carried out in Japan is that nearly every civilised 

 country in the world has had its attention directed 

 to this new departure in geophysics and has estab- 

 lished seismographs. 



In the last-mentioned country observers are to 

 be found in most towns, and many instruments 

 have been installed to record macroseisms and tele- 

 seisms. The annual outlay for earthquake work in 

 that country is about 5000/. Russia, for the sup- 

 port of a system extending over its vast territories, 

 expends a similar amount. Italy, which is the 

 oldest country for recording earthquake pheno- 

 mena, is covered with stations. Austria, France, 

 Switzerland, Chile, the United States of America, 

 the Balkan States and the small States of Centra! 

 America each have their organised systems, while 

 in Germany we find the headquarters of the Inter- 

 national Seismological Association. This is sup- 

 ported by yearly contributions of about 1600/. from 

 twenty-two countries. The headquarters of this 

 body is in Strassburg, but it also controls 

 stations in Beirut and Reykjavik. In Great Britain 

 teleseisms are now recorded in thirteen different 

 places. Three of these stations are owned by 

 private persons, but the one in the Isle of Wight 

 is largely supported by grants from the Royal 

 Society, the British Association and Mr. M. H. 

 Grav. The remaining nine are attached to exist- 

 ing observatories or other institutions. 



J. Milne. 



THE PROBLEM OF TUBERCULOSIS. 



THE final report of the Departmental Com- 

 mittee on Tuberculosis was recently pub- 

 lished. Since the interim report of 191 2 (April) 

 was issued the committee has been engaged in 

 devising methods for dealing with the general 

 problem of tuberculosis as it affects the com- 

 munity. This introduces at once the difficulty as 

 to the policy to be followed with those cases 

 occurring among the non-assured under the 

 National Insurance Act. The funds for this pur- 

 pose are now promised by the Government up to 

 one half of the estimated cost, and whilst giving 

 the ratepayers control of the local administration 

 the funds mentioned are to be drawn from 

 national sources. 



Dr. Newsholme has shown how largely the im- 

 provement recorded in respect of this disease is 

 really due, not so much to successful treatment, 

 but more to the segregation of the advanced cases 

 an special institutions, chief among these being 



NO. 2269, VOL. 91] 



those wards of the Poor Law infirmaries set apart 

 as sanatoria. But the law has till now left 

 (and still leaves) the patient the right to "claim his 

 discharge " when he pleases, and this is frequently 

 exercised to his own detriment ; but the com- 

 mittee now realises that, in addition, he is .1 

 source of danger to others in his environment. 

 On this ground it is proposed to withdraw this 

 liberty from the class of infective "ins and outs." 

 It is a noteworthy point that the tuberculosis of 

 children is now accepted by the committee as 

 mainly of bovine origin. 



The outstanding feature of the report is that of 

 the provision for research, and its recognition in a 

 fuller sense than has yet found its way to the 

 statute book. The committee computes that an 

 income for this purpose will accrue under the 

 Insurance Act of about 57,000?. a year, and it 

 proposes the establishment of various grades of 

 research workers, to include the appointment oi 

 full-time men, who shall entirely devote them- 

 selves to research "at an adequate salary," with 

 a subsequent pension. 



The outline of a detailed scheme is given which 

 includes the use of existing agencies, but con- 

 templates also the formation of a central bureau 

 with an expert secretary director at the head. 

 This is primarily designed for the reduction of 

 statistics to comparable form, and may comprise 

 a research institution as well. 



In view of the scattered distribution of the 

 workers some such arrangement is clearly neces- 

 sary ; and, further, the committee indicates the 

 need, in its opinion, of keeping the workers in 

 touch with the work done abroad. 



The creation of scholarships is recommended, 

 but a department of foreign inquiry, either by 

 scholarship or commission, would enhance the 

 knowledge of the whole body, and prove a con- 

 stant stimulus to the highest effort. 



A point of considerable importance is raised by 

 the reference to laboratory facilities. "Access" 

 to these by various local centres of work must 

 always give way in effectiveness to work done by- 

 small equipments for diagnosis at these centres. 

 The Commissioners consider that not merely 

 tuberculosis, but any disease from which the 

 assured may suffer may come under similar 

 review. 



On taking the figures from the 1909 census 

 report, tuberculosis claims io"5 per cent, of all 

 causes of mortality, and that of the "respiratory" 

 group following — pneumonia and bronchitis — )t 

 will be noted that thus combined this figure ex- 

 ceeds the former. It must not be forgotten, 

 however, that the latter includes cases of non- 

 diagnosed tubercle, and others the essential 

 feature of which is old age. 



Tuberculosis, therefore, would claim the fullest, 

 if not the sole, attention at first. This is con- 

 firmed by the figures just to hand of the results 

 of the first year's working of the compulsory 

 notification of infective diseases, including 

 tubercle. Tuberculosis heads the list with 

 [10,551 cases, which amount to 3*06 per 1000 



